The Texas Senate gave the bill its final OK on Wednesday morning; it now heads to Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature or veto. Abbott's staff did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday. Bill author Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, said the bill was "another step" toward getting rid of" antiquated laws regarding weapons."

"We did it with switchblades. We did it with knives and now with knuckles," Moody said Wednesday. "Hopefully, now, with this on the way to the governor, we can ensure these types of laws aren't being used inappropriately to go after folks who have legitimate tools of self defense."

It's legal to openly carry rifles and handguns in Texas, and in 2017, lawmakers eliminated a 145-year-old ban on carrying knives in public. But brass knuckles remain illegal. Simply possessing something that fits this description — including plastic "kitty keychains" and other self defense items — is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to $4,000 in fines and a year in jail.

Moody's bill would lift that ban and also legalize the carrying of clubs. In 2017, 93 people were convicted under the state's knuckles ban, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Moody filed the legislation after The Dallas Morning News published a story about Kyli Phillips, a Carrollton resident who was arrested for "possession of a prohibited weapon" because she had a plastic kitty keychain in her purse. She has not been formally charged with a crime, but the case has not been dropped.

"The story reported out of North Texas certainly crystallized the problem with the law and put a face to the issue so that we could finally address it," Moody added.

Phillips' mother said she was happy her daughter's story might effect a change in the law.

"I'm so glad to see that people are still able to recognize when a law is outdated and no longer fitting within our state and that there is someone out there still willing to push to do the right thing," Kelly Broeker said. "It's refreshing and needs to happen more often."